Round 7 - MCE British Superbike Championship - Thruxton - Qualification
John Hopkins topped the final free practice when qualification day rolled around in the very final minute of the session. The top 22 riders were covered by 0.988s which is demonstrative of the slight margins that separate the biggest ever MCE BSB grid. Luke Mossey finished in second in the session, followed by Christian Iddon.
In addition to this, Club MCE members were treated to a priority pit walk as well as a lucky number able to rocket around the 'fastest track of the year' in the Nissan GT-R as well as on the back of a Yamaha R1 piloted by MCE BSB riders. Amongst all of this action Richard Cooper stopped by at the MCE tent and answered questions from Club MCE members.
When qualification rolled around Thruxton was alive with the sound of superbikes once more. It was Josh Brookes who claimed pole position in the session, able to hold off John Hopkins who was evidently gunning for the top spot. The front row was made up by Luke Mossey who is making a great impression in his MCE BSB rookie year. Dan Linfoot finished in fourth position, his teammate Jason O'Halloran crashed out in Q2 sustaining a broken right femur.
The qualifying session threw some interesting results into the mix, current championship leader Shane Byrne finished the session in a shocking 17th place. With Brookes only 5 points behind him and starting the day in pole position it is highly likely that we will see a shift in the standings by the end of race one. Tommy Bridewell starts in 11th, Laverty in 20th and Kiyonari in 22nd, demonstrative that this track suits some bikes and riders better than others.
Tomorrow is certainly going to be interesting, will we finish the day with a new championship leader or can Shakey make his way through the grid packed with talented riders and keep hold of his current lead? There's only one way to find out - roll on race day!
01.08.2015 - Big Ed
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